- a variation of behavior.
behaviour
Americannoun
noun
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manner of behaving or conducting oneself
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behaving with careful good manners
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psychol
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the aggregate of all the responses made by an organism in any situation
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a specific response of a certain organism to a specific stimulus or group of stimuli
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the action, reaction, or functioning of a system, under normal or specified circumstances
Spelling
See -or 1.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of behaviour
C15: from behave ; influenced in form by Middle English havior , from Old French havoir , from Latin habēre to have
Explanation
Your behaviour is the way you act in various situations. Note that this word ends with "our," which is the British spelling, while the American English spelling is behavior. This discrepancy is common, and either spelling is correct. The Late Middle English word behavoure meant "to have possession," which seemingly refers to a person in control of his or her actions. If you are accused of childish behaviour, you might be acting as though you have little self-control. Scottish musician Shirley Manson once said: "A lot of celebrities just want money, fame, power, fancy cars, houses all over the world and have people bow down to them. To me, that's frightful behaviour."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Russia is gradually shifting the boundary for what they consider acceptable behaviour," he warned.
From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026
Workplace culture and behaviour can have a significant influence on people's willingness to take time off sick, says psychologist Dr Tara Quinn-Cirillo.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
"Any person identified as engaging in this behaviour – whether through comments, direct messages or social media – will be permanently banned from all Hyrox events," it said.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
"We know how important a nutritional diet is to the wellbeing, to the behaviour, to the learning of our pupils."
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
I lived in a state of chronic uneasiness respecting my behaviour to Joe.
From "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
